HRH The Prince Of Wales Officially Opens Swansea University’s £450m Bay Campus
HRH The Prince of Wales, President of The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, today officially opened the Bay Campus of Swansea University.
The visit celebrates the official opening of the Bay Campus which is part of the University’s ambitious campus development and expansion programme taking place over a number of years.
The Campus is one of the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community’s flagship projects. In 2009, The Prince’s Foundation had the vision to turn an abandoned brownfield site owned by oil company BP into a centre for knowledge and innovation that would revitalise the whole region. This built on their joint work in creating Coed Darcy on a contaminated site in 1999. The Prince’s Foundation developed the strategic brief and led the stakeholder workshops for the campus project, Swansea University and St. Modwen were the project partners, Porphyrios Associates were the masterplanners and the buildings were designed by Porphyrios Associates and Hopkins Architects.
During the visit The Prince’s Foundation also announced its new Master’s in Sustainable Engineering for International Development, which will be delivered in conjunction with the University, creating links for the future between the two organisations.
On arrival, His Royal Highness was greeted by Professor Richard Davies, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University, David Toman, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, Steve Burke, Executive Director for St. Modwen, and other partners before touring the campus.
During his tour of the campus The Prince met staff and students. He saw state of the art research facilities in the impressive Engineering quarter, the Bay Library and the student quarter. The tour also gave The Prince the opportunity to see the future location of Phase Two developments and planned landscaping and planting on the site.
The visit finished with The Prince unveiling a plaque to mark the opening of the Bay Campus in the stunning Sir Stanley Clarke Auditorium of the Great Hall.
Speaking about the Bay Campus, David Toman, Chief Executive, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community said:
“We wanted to create a community, a place where people can come together to spark innovation and greater knowledge through sharing. Swansea University Bay Campus is an example of the new kinds of economy that can rise from the ashes of the old. Without the vision of His Royal Highness this campus simply would not have been built. The Prince’s Foundation worked tirelessly with Swansea University, Neath Port Talbot CBC, BP plc and St. Modwen plc to regenerate a derelict parcel of land into a world class exemplar of sustainable regeneration which is helping to deliver jobs and growth for Wales.”
Peter Mather, BP, Head of UK said:
“When BP made the difficult decision to leave the Swansea area we committed to finding ways to create a long-term legacy. To see our old site turned into a home for Engineering and Management is wonderfully fitting. We are delighted to celebrate this success with Swansea University, local governments, The Prince’s Foundation and, most importantly, the local community – to whom we made that initial commitment.”
Richard B. Davies, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University commented:
“The Swansea Campus will enable us to attract inward investment to Wales and promote the growth of high-technology clusters. It will establish the region as a vibrant location for modern high technology companies, bringing even greater eventual impact.”
Steve Burke, Executive Director, St. Modwen said:
“The Bay Campus development is a major highlight of St. Modwen’s ongoing and transformational 2,500 acre regeneration programme across South Wales with the potential to double in size within the next five years. This long term project will also be a key contributor for the Swansea Bay City Region, with an estimated positive economic impact of around £3bn and up to 10,000 jobs across the project’s 10-year build programme and beyond.”
Dr. Demetri Porphyrios, Principal of Porphyrios Associates said:
“The creation of places that nourish and ennoble student lives lies at the heart of a successful campus.”
David Selby, Senior Partner, Hopkins Architects said:
“The distinctive new Bay Campus has been created to help Swansea University forge its academic future as one of Wales’ leading institutions of higher education. The development embodies internal and external placemaking and includes a series of high-quality buildings instilled with inspirational spaces that create opportunities for academic interaction and learning.
“The flexible design supports the University’s strong interface with industry, as an innovation hub and manufacturing facility bringing together commerce with engineering research and disciplines as diverse as nanotechnology and business management. The new campus sets a context for the creation of lasting memories for students, faculty and staff.”
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